Precision machine vision inspection systems (or “vision systems” for short) can be utilized to obtain precise dimensional measurements of inspected objects and to inspect various other object characteristics. Such systems may include a computer, a camera and optical system, and a precision stage that is movable in multiple directions so as to allow the camera to scan the features of a workpiece that is being inspected. One exemplary prior art system that is commercially available is the QUICK VISION® series of PC-based vision systems and QVPAK® software available from Mitutoyo America Corporation (MAC), located in Aurora, Ill. The features and operation of the QUICK VISION® series of vision systems and the QVPAK® software are generally described, for example, in the QVPAK 3D CNC Vision Measuring Machine User's Guide, published January 2003, and the QVPAK 3D CNC Vision Measuring Machine Operation Guide, published September 1996, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. This product, as exemplified by the QV-302 Pro model, for example, is able to use a microscope-type optical system to provide images of a workpiece at various magnifications, and move the stage as necessary to traverse the workpiece surface beyond the limits of any single video image. A single video image typically encompasses only a portion of the workpiece being observed or inspected, given the desired magnification, measurement resolution, and physical size limitations of such systems.
In traditional machine vision inspection systems (such as the QUICK VISION® series of vision systems described above), when it is desired to determine a surface height, or an image is out of focus, the system may run an autofocus process. One traditional autofocus process involves a relatively time consuming process consisting of acquiring a series of images at known camera positions (relative to a machine coordinate system), computing image focus characteristics (e.g. image contrast) for each acquired image, and finding the best focus position based on the known distances and focus characteristics of the images. To provide a focused image, the system may be moved to the determined best focus position. Also, a surface height measurement may be inferred from the best focus position, since the camera-object distance corresponding to the best image focus is generally known based on system design or calibration.
It is also known to use auxiliary focus sensors, that is focus sensors that do not rely on the images of the machine vision inspection system for determining the best focus position or surface height. Various types of focus sensors including triangulation sensors, knife edge focus sensors, chromatic confocal sensors, and the like, have been used. However, such auxiliary sensors have exhibited drawbacks such as failing to work reliably with both specular and diffuse surfaces, and/or undesirable range vs. resolution capabilities, and/or undesirable optical or control system complexity, and/or lack of lateral resolution, and/or lack of simple registration of the focal spot within the field of view of an image.
One sensitive focus sensing technique that has been used in telescope systems utilizes Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors, as described in an article accessible at http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/UKIRT/telescope/focus.html. However, teachings related to the use of Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors in telescope systems do not address issues that are critical for general-purpose machine vision inspection systems or auxiliary sensors such as those outlined above. In particular, issues related to workpiece surface height measurement, workpiece surface properties, non-collimated artificial illumination, and the like, do not arise in telescope applications. One metrology application that utilizes a Shack-Hartmann type of wavefront sensing technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,974, to Neal et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. As described in the '974 patent, the minute deviations of a surface from perfect flatness, such as the surface of a silicon wafer, etc., may be measured by reflecting appropriate illumination from the surface and directing it to a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor that includes a plurality of sub-apertures. In particular, a plurality of lenslets arranged in an array are used to sample the wavefront. Each lenslet provides a corresponding sub-aperture. The resulting array of spots, which may be interpreted as a physical realization of an optical ray trace, are focused onto a detector. The position of the focal spot from a given sub-aperture is dependent upon the average wavefront slope over the sub-aperture. The direction of propagation, or wavefront slope, of each of the samples is determined by estimating the focal spot position shift from nominal for each lenslet. The wavefront sensor and the object are translated relative to one another to measure the wavefronts at a plurality of subregions of the object. The subregions may overlap in at least one dimension. The measured wavefronts are then stitched together to form a wavefront of the object. The wavefront and/or surface slope profile and/or relative surface height profile may then be reconstructed from the detected images in a number of known manners. The resolution and sensitivity of the sensor are determined by the lenslet array. However, while the '974 system is able to precisely measure surface flatness of wafers and the like, it fails to address issues that are critical for many of the focusing and measuring operations performed by general-purpose machine vision inspection systems. In particular, issues related to abrupt surface height steps, unpredictable workpiece surface properties, workpiece surface height measurement over larger ranges, and the like, are not adequately addressed.
The present invention is directed to a sensor that overcomes the foregoing and other disadvantages. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a surface height and focus sensor configuration that is of particular utility in a general purpose machine vision inspection system for performing precision dimensional metrology.